Why is a trip to the walk-in centre a family outing?

[freeAnneBoleyn]

For some?

I went yesterday. Looked full to bursting when I came in, not a single free chair. Looked to be a lot of families with one sick/injured member, with both parents and other children in attendance. Why? If you have two parents why in God’s name would you drag your other child to sit amongst lurgy ridden patients for four hours and have to worry about keeping them amused as well?!

I eventually got a chair when someone else got called up- I had a fractured shoulder it turned out so not desperately ill obviously but still in pain and was anticipating, correctly as it turned out, a very very long wait.

Worst was family of five opposite- one feverish looking child asleep on mum’s lap, two older children and a dad. He’d brought sweets and sandwiches for everyone but the kids were bored shitless which led to the inevitable handing over of a phone to mess around on with the horrible pingy sounds of the game they played audible to everyone. Another toddler was left to just roam about, and started running up and down.

It made for an even more unpleasant waiting experience for people who are in pain and sick, exposing healthy children to germs, and bloody boring for them too.

I am NOT judging any parent that had no choice to bring other children along, but if there are two of you...why do it??

It’s got nothing to do with anyone what one family decides to do.

Unless they're taking up all the free chairs in the walk-in centre with healthy people leaving actual patients standing...

Thought of this thread today while waiting at the minor injuries.

Small boy about 7 years old with a deep cut on his leg. With him when we arrived:

Mum
Dad
Sister
Nan

About 20 mins later, his aunt, uncle and their children turn up. Thought to maybe give aift home to the nan and sister but no, they all stayed the whole time. Bloody ridiculous and no need for it at all!

Actually @Thegreymethod it's absolutely to do with other people if one person'a non-emergency overcrowds the waiting room.

It affects other patients, many of whom can't get a seat

It affects patient flow because there's more family members to appease, answer questions to and manoeuvre around. This means everyone waits longer to see a HCP.

It affects medical staff having to cram everyone into a bay or consultation room, sort everyone out, answer the million questions, find the power in talking over everyone.

It's selfish and unnecessary and people do it because they like drama.

There could be a good reason for it for all you know

What reason can there possibly be for patient plus 13 others or as above?

You have no idea of the reasons people may be in that situation.
We don't regularly attend walk in centres but when we have it has been like that for us.

I drive, dh does not. I have a spinal cord injury and at times can't drive to the walk in centre and manage by myself with one or both of the kids, and we don't have a lot of help or local family support and dd has had a devastating diagnosis this year so when we have needed to take the risk we have had to all go along.

Sorry if it muffs up your day but it's actually not your business. It's somebodies family getting by that day and they are probably struggling enough

I don’t believe 13 people turned up and if they did then that’s extreme and not the same as what was being said earlier in the post. All I’m saying is if a whole family is there you don’t know the reason why.
Not giving up seats for sick/sicker people is a different matter and basic manners.

I would be annoyed if I was injured and couldn't sit down in a hospital because there was an extended family gathering taking all the chairs - just absurd

*Thegreymethod+

Then perhaps you should read the thread, if you’re going to trouble yourself commenting.

And yes, it is my business if I can’t sit down when in pain with a fracture because there are unnecessary various entourages clogging up the waiting room.

I’m sorry you were I pain and couldn’t get a seat but I still don’t think you can judge why 2 parents would be there with children.
A while ago me and my family were out and one of my children got some food lodged in their throat. It was horrendous and an ambulance had to be called because no one (there were actually nurses and paramedics at the scene, just eating not working) who couldn’t dislodge it. An ambulance was called but luckily we got it out and we’re told we’d be quicker going to the WI ourselves which we did unprepared and with 2 other children. Took hours to be seen and by the time we got called he was fine and I couldn’t help but thinking I bet everyone is wondering why we’re all here with what seems like 3 not unwell children. All I’m trying to say is don’t judge because you never know.

And that was typical of a walk-in situation was it?

Nobody else knew why we were there. 2 parents and all our children. That is what I’m getting at.

And I’m actually really really sorry for you in that situation as it sounded very scary.

But- that was a walk-in, not a&e, there was no reason why you all had to sit there for hours and hours, all of you, if other unwell and injured people might have needed those seats.

I've never done that. It's very odd.

The reason we all had to be there was we were miles away from home and other than my husband and children walk around in the freezing cold for hours there wasn’t anywhere else to go (it wasn’t particularly busy just slow and there were lots of seats free or I’d have 100% given our seats to people who needed them) plus the children were very shaken having very nearly seeing their brother choke to death so I wanted them all together. It was only the walk in because that was the closest place if we’d been closer to A&E we would have been sent there.
And thank you it was very scary the worst half an hour of my life.

We didn't all rock up to A&E and I probably won't ever get over it.

DS3 went in with a high temp and what we thought was not that serious was actually really serious - straight into surgery (he ended up spending a month on the high dependency unit and still has to have regular follow ups)

I wasn't there with him when he was admitted and with hindsight it terrifies me what could have happened to him before I got there.

He has had to go back in once as an emergency since it happened and I'm afraid, we both went with him because, honestly, I'm a little traumatized by the experience of not being with him when it mattered.

Of course that time he perked right up when he saw the TV in the waiting room with Hotel Transylvania on and was completely fine (thankfully!) To anyone looking judging we probably looked like a couple of overzealous PFB parents who didn't both need to be there. But honestly, the idea that my son could have died and me not be there precisely because I was more concerned about not having my other kids in the waiting room. I don't know if I'll ever forgive myself.